The production of rare earth tris (organophosphates), particularly rare earth alkylphosphates, in various solvents is generally a straightforward process. Due to their low solubility in water and common organic solvents, the rare earth tris (organophosphates) precipitate easily. The poor solubility of these compositions is noted in the article, “DEHP complexes of lanthanides (III) and actinides (III),” Suglobov et al., Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 213/214 (1994) 523-527. Suglobov et al. point out that “LnA3 (A=dialkylphosphate) is very poorly soluble in alkanes as well as in donor solvents.” See the Abstract page 523 of Suglobov et al. The lower solubility of the rare earth tris (organophosphates) in hydrocarbon solvents, compared to, for instance, rare earth neo acid complexes, is mainly due to the presence of the phosphorous atoms which considerably lowers the organic character of the molecule. Providing rare earth tris (organophosphates) in a hydrocarbon solvent is desirable for manufacturers utilizing the rare earth tris (organophosphates) for preparation of catalysts. If the rare earth tris (organophosphates) could be stable in the hydrocarbon solvent, i.e., not precipitate over an extended period of time, such a product would be very beneficial for the manufacturing formulator.
It is an aspect of the present invention to produce solutions comprising a rare earth tris (organophosphate) and a hydrocarbon solvent wherein said solutions are stable from precipitation of the rare earth tris (organophosphate) for at least about thirty days.
It is another aspect of the present invention to introduce a process, which by a combination of beneficial experimental conditions, allows the production of highly stable solutions of a rare earth tris (organophosphate) in a hydrocarbon solvent.
These and other aspects of the invention are discussed in detail below.